There are some things it’s impossible for a man to do: lick your own elbow, sneeze with your eyes open, or tickle yourself. But one thing you can do is give yourself a sports massage without having to pay a professional masseuse, thanks to the foam roller.

Foam rolling – or self-myofascial release, as it’s also known – is like getting a sports massage, except foam rollers come at a fraction of the cost of a masseuse and, unlike a masseuse, can be popped in a cupboard or under a bed to use again tomorrow.

Why You Should Use A Foam Roller

Just two minutes of self-myofascial release increases your muscles’ range of motion by 10%, according to a study published in the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research.

Compared to stretching, the agony of rolling can feel like some kind of torture the exercise industry are inflicting on us as a joke, but it really does work. Applying pressure to trigger points, or knots, in your muscles boosts blood flow, helps them recover their elasticity quickly and sets you up to go again.

In addition, while giving yourself a massage might sound immeasurably less fun than lying down and letting a pro do it, the self-control offered by foam rolling allows you to control your recovery by applying the pressure to the precise locations that hurt the most.

How To Use A Foam Roller

“Foam rollers are an excellent tool for anyone who works out and even those who don’t. The best and most basic way to use them is very simple. For example, if you were doing your quads you would lay the roller on the floor and gently place one leg over the roller, using your bodyweight to apply moderate pressure. Move slowly – an inch a second or slower – forwards and backwards on the roller.

“When you get to a spot that is very sore or painful hold it there for a few seconds and gently increase the pressure over 10-20 seconds. From there continue to move slowly up and down the roller and then repeat the process with the other leg. You can repeat this technique on all of your muscle groups.

“It’s best to do this as many times as you can throughout the week to keep muscle tissue healthy and reduce your chances of any injuries.”

Four Great Foam Rollers

Physical Company Performance Roller

This sturdy roller has a unique pattern on its surface designed to be especially effective in relieving muscle tightness. What sets it apart from the competition, however, is the instructions it offers users via the magic of Near Field Communication (NFC) tech that’s built into the roller itself. Wave your smartphone near the NFC tag and you’ll be shown a library of foam roller exercises and instructions. It’s also a couple of inches longer than most other foam rollers, which is less glamorous than NFC but very helpful for core and back rolling. £19.95, buy on physicalcompany.co.uk

The Rumble Roller

This extra-hard foam torture tube is covered in flexible but firm bumps designed to mimic the thumbs of a physiotherapist. It looks absolutely terrifying, but if you can summon up the courage the RumbleRoller will do you no end of good. £19.95, buy on amazon.co.uk

The Pulseball

This portable peanut-shaped device vibrates at three different speeds (which can be described as steady, fast and downright alarming) to aid in the post-workout massage process. Its size and shape make it ideal for targeting the nooks and crannies on your body that a traditional foam roller is too big to access, and the vibrating makes it marginally less painful to use than a standard roller. It also comes in a choice of colours – black, red purple and yellow. Who can say why, but it’s always nice to have some choice.

Along with the Pulseball itself you get a handy picture guide to rolling pretty much every muscle in the body, so you can happily while away the hours massaging yourself. Well, you can while away three hours. After that you’ll have to recharge the Pulseball. If using the Pulseball gets you addicted to vibrating self-massaging devices, then you can also pick up a full-sized vibrating foam roller from Pulseroll. Your muscles will never feel so well looked after. £89.99, buy on pulseroll.com

The Lacrosse Ball

An essential in every roller’s arsenal, the lacrosse ball is used to target hard-to-get to areas on the body like the soles and arches of the feet. This will be especially useful for runners who suffer with plantar fasciitis – inflammation of the tissue that forms the arch under the foot. You can also use a golf ball to roll your sole if you have one handy. £6.98, buy on amazon.co.uk

Six Recovery Moves For The Foam Roller

Here are six of the best recovery moves you can do on a foam roller.

1. Quads

Mobility session 5-10 rolls each leg Recovery session 3-5min each leg

Lie on your front, resting on your elbows with both thighs on the roller. Use your elbows to move your body forward and backward, rolling from just above your kneecap to just below your pelvis. To target one leg, bring your other leg to your side. For increased pressure cross your legs so all your bodyweight is on one leg.

2. Hamstrings

Mobility session 5-10 rolls each leg Recovery session 3-5min each leg

Sit with your hands on the floor supporting your weight and the backs of your legs resting on the roller. Start just above the knees and roll up to the top of your legs. Begin by rolling both legs, then cross your legs to target one at a time.

3. Glutes

Mobility session 5-10 rolls each side Recovery session 3-5min each side

Sit on the roller with your hands on the floor supporting your weight. Because the glutes are such large muscles they require increased pressure. Target one side of your glutes by crossing that leg over the top of your other leg and roll up and down the muscle.

4. Calves

Mobility session 5-10 rolls each leg Recovery session 3-5min each leg

Sit down with your hands on the floor supporting your weight and the backs of your lower legs resting on the roller. Start just above the ankle and roll up to just below your knee. Begin by rolling both legs, then cross your legs over to target one at a time.

5. IT bands

Mobility session 5-10 rolls each side Recovery session 3-5min each side

The iliotibial band runs from your glutes down the outside of your thigh to your knee. Lie on your side, supporting your weight on one elbow. Roll from just above your knee to the top of your leg, using your other leg to take some of your weight if you need to reduce the pressure.

6. Groin and adductors

Mobility session 5-10 rolls each side Recovery session 3-5min each side

Lie on your front, resting on your elbows with the inside of one thigh on the roller and the other leg on the floor to support some of your weight. Roll from just above the knee up to the area between your groin and hip.